Enrique is around 46, while Erik is 41 years old, and Daniel, the youngest, is 39. He blamed Camarena for a raid on a marijuana plantation in 1984. Mika Camarena serves as the President of the foundation, whereas her son, Enrique Kiki Camarena Jr., serves as the Vice President of Civic and Business Affairs. However, she gradually distanced herself from the details about the case in order to focus more on what used to drive him during his lifetime: to not let the drug cartels win. He is doing many things, and I wouldn't like to take up his time. Kiki and his wife Mika are pictured here on their wedding day. We are helping law enforcement get the word out about drugs to our youth, parents and schools., Kiki Camarenas son, Enrique Camarena is now a judge in California after serving as a deputy district attorney for years. On the day of his abduction, Camarena was supposed to meet up with his wife, but she would never see him again. And so for me, its still a little bit about the legacy of duty. Kiki Camarena was born Enrique (Kiki) S. Camarena on July 26, 1947, in Mexicali, Mexico. Enrique is around 46, while Erik is 41 years old, and Daniel, the youngest, is 39. His full name was Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, and, in real life, he was a brutal and clever man called El Padrino AKA The Godfather. And thats what Ive been doing up until yesterday. Some activists have been threatened and even killed in Sonora amid Caro Quinteros turf wars with the sons of "El Chapo. A retired skin care consultant, Mika now focuses even more of her time on running the foundation. The case is thus, believed to be undergoing another investigation, that may bring more shocking results. These people and I have never chatted. A television series recently detailed your life and portrayed you as a drug trafficker, as the cocaine czar for having opened the coca routes from South America to the United States and dealings with Pablo Escobar. Camarena served in the Marines for two years, was a firefighter and police officer and deputy sheriff in California, and then joined the DEA in 1974. He was very concerned about the drug problem in this country, and wanted to make a difference by helping the people that he cared about. Few traces remain of the man who during the 1980s was considered one of the most powerful criminal leaders in the world. The case has been a point of contention . His death stunned the nation and forever changed the war. The first question was why, after so many years, he had decided to grant an interview. Ernesto Don Neto Fonseca and Rafael Caro Quintero were other cartel leaders involved. Kiki received two Sustained Superior Performance Awards, a Special Achievement Award and, posthumously, the Administrators Award of Honor, the highest award granted by DEA, the DEA says. Unfortunately, he was brutally murdered on the job in Mexico in 1985 by the Guadalajara Cartel, per theDEA. In 2020 alone, a total of 34,515 homicides were registered. The 85-year-old also asserted that the report is a "rehash . In her interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, Camarena says that, since retiring, she has been able to fully dedicate herself to the foundation, and using the money it receives to offer scholarships to college-bound students. Image source. But during this time, Geneva Camarena was also speaking tirelessly at school anti-drug events. The documentary tribute to Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena premieres today at 11 a.m. EDT. He was also a veteran, having joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1968, according to a DEA biography of him. In 1988, she met with President Reagan (pictured above) and First Lady, Nancy, to raise awareness about drug abuse, per theDEA. Scoprite #TheLastNarc, la storia di un eroe caduto e di un uomo che ha rischiato tutto per rivelare la spaventosa verit, indagando fra propaganda e corruzione. The murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena in 1985 is being further investigated. In 1981, the entire Camarena family left Fresno, California for Guadalajara, Mexico where Camarena was assigned. Enrique is now a deputy district attorney. Narcos: Mexico shows the growth of the Guadalajara Cartel, pieced together by Felix Gallardo out of warring factions. The implosion of Guadalajara led to the rise of the Sinaloa cartel, led by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, who is now in U.S. custody. Jacob G. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation. Camarena's casket is returned to the U.S. after his murder. education: Calexico High School, Imperial Valley College, (Activist, wife of late DEA agent Kiki Camarena), https://clintonschoolphotography.com/p648939638/h264DCF62#h264dcf62, https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-diane-bell-talks-geneva-camarena-2010mar14-htmlstory.html, https://www.parkerpioneer.net/news/article_2af418d4-78d5-11e5-83be-4753208428fd.html, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB9mvitPafk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MncfXSZZNtE. President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador has maintained that he is not interested in detaining drug lords and prefers to avoid violence. Hes been in custody since 1989, however. Kiki joined the Calexico Police Department in 1970, and then later was assigned to El Centro, California, where he worked as a Narcotics Investigator for Imperial County. Caro Quintero was from Badiraguato, Sinaloa, the same area as Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, the former Sinaloa cartel leader now serving a life sentence in the United States. They seem to maintain low profiles and dont have an over social media presence. And I'm going to be serving my county, serving this community in a different way.". Distractify is a registered trademark. My parents were the first to export legumes to the United States in 1942. My life expectancy is nonexistent. The case is thus, believed to be undergoing another investigation, that may bring more shocking results. In season 2, an enraged DEA jacks up its efforts to dismantle the cartel and get cartel figures to prosecution, even going so far as abducting a doctor accused of being affiliated with the cartel and assisting in Camarenas death. His badly beaten body was recovered nearly one month after he was kidnapped. He is telling the story of his father,DEA agent Enrique Camarena and story of #RedRibbonWeek #inspiringyoungminds Thanks for your fathers and your service to our communities .#msasdonaroll pic.twitter.com/2rAEDOOVgM, Principal Serce (@mr_serce) October 23, 2018, He told NBC San Diego of his dad, You know, I think about him every day. I know that the president is a man of goodwill. This Mr. Camarena, whoever they were, whoever did it, the perpetrators and masterminds are behind bars; they've paid with their lives in prison, and they've had a very rough time. In February 1985 Camarena was kidnapped by drug traffickers hired by Mexican politicians in Guadalajara, Mexico.He was interrogated under torture and murdered. The previous seasons focused on the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel. Like in the show, Gallardo was arrested by Guillermo Gonzalez Calderoni (played by Julio Cesar Cedillo).. She has worked as an insurance clerk and as an office clerk for the Calexico Municipal Court. I grab a little bit from one supervisor, I grab a little bit from another, and added on to me to become who I am today, he said, as his former colleagues in the district attorneys office nodded appreciatively along with his family and friends. According to organizations such as Semforo Delictivo, about80 percent of these homicidesare related to drugs and drug trafficking. Mika, who serves as the president of the organization, often took part in talks about drug awareness in schools and communities nationwide despite her longtime job as a skin-care consultant. A very short video segment released by the navy showed Caro Quintero his face blurred dressed in jeans, a soaking wet blue shirt and baggy khaki jacket held by both arms by men wearing camfoulage uniforms and carrying assault rifles. Eventually the cartel's kingpin, Rafael Caro Quintero, and more than two dozen others were convicted in U.S. and Mexican courts -- Caro Quintero's release last year sparking outrage and a new arrest warrant. Tuesday, October 26, 2021. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Rafael Caro Quintero walked free while serving a 40-year sentence for the torture-murder of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in 1985 and has since apparently . Because of your relentless efforts! [I was] with my family. His work that is believed to have cost one of the Mexican drug cartels, their land, eventually led to his abduction, torture, and death at the hands of these gangs. The brutal murder marked a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations. I'm a corpse who's only looking forward to being buried next to a tree. I'm not asking anything from the president. On the other hand, Enrique has proudly followed his fathers footsteps. After all, when Camarena tragically died, his three children, Enrique, Erik, and Daniel, were 11, 6, and 4 years old, respectively. Snow, Rain and Wind in the Forecast Yet Again. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Mika Camarena was born in Fresno in the year 1948. Since her husband's death, she has become an activist and advocates drug awareness among the youth. And that's what I've been doing up until yesterday. Red Ribbon Week started in 1985 in Kikis hometown of Calexico, California, and soon gained momentum across California and then the rest of the country. Camarena was abducted by corrupt officers on behalf of the cartel in Guadalajara, Mexico, in February 1985. 1985-1990#KikiCamarena #Mexico #DrugCartelFor Educational Purposes. In a candid interview with the San Diego Tribune, Mika was asked if she ever imagined this happening and knew of the dangers involved in Camarenas day-to-day work life. A retired skin care consultant, Mika now focuses even more of her time on running the foundation. In fact, better yet, first watch Seasons 1 and 2 of Narcos: Mexico on Netflix. Special Agent Enrique Kiki Camarena: A Man With A Moral Mission Enrique Kiki Camarena was born on July 26, 1947, in Mexicali, Mexico, to Mexican parents. We didnt see a lot of effort (to capture Caro Quintero) in the last several years, especially when (Lpez Obrador) came in and immediately started to dismantle a lot of the infrastructure and the bilateral relationships between the U.S. and Mexico relative to drug trafficking, Vigil said. I am going on 76 years. The show, in both seasons 1 and 2, traces the growth of the drug trade, moving the series setting from Colombia to Guadalajara, Mexico. On the face of it, it would appear that Camarena was kidnapped, tortured, and killed because he was responsible for discovering and destroying a massive marijuana plantation in Mexico that cost the drug cartel billions of dollars. Mika Camarena lives in her home in Chula Vista, California. Kiki was surrounded by five armed men who threw him into a car and sped away. Michael Pea plays DEA Agent Enrique Kiki Camarena in Season 1 of Narcos: Mexico. But I knew, she shares. They don't let us have visitors, no phone booths, no lawyers. Flix Gallardo: I've never thought about escaping. He was a Marine. His tortured body was found a month later. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In 2004, she established the Enrique S. Camarena Educational Foundation with the help of several retired DEA agents, as well as her son Enrique. In other words, we led a family life. She graduated from Imperial Valley College. "There is no hiding place for anyone who kidnaps, tortures, and murders American law enforcement. Mika Camarena is an American activist and the wife of late Mexican-born American undercover agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Enrique S. 'Kiki' Camarena Salazar, who was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by drug cartels in early 1985 while on assignment in Mexico. His work that is believed to have cost one of the Mexican drug cartels, their land, eventually led to his abduction, torture, and death at the hands of these gangs. We have to give it time. Mika Camarena and her future husband, Kiki Camarena, both grew up in the city of Calexico, California. Not just the prosecution, but oversee the entire way the case is handled and all thats put forth in the case and the decisions that need to be made. Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, agente de la DEA nacido en Mxico y naturalizado estadounidense, fue secuestrado el 7 de febrero de 1985 por hombres del Crtel de Guadalajara dos semanas antes de . We also speak in favor of the Red Ribbon campaign and drug awareness. Today, the eight-day celebration is an annual catalyst to show intolerance for drugs in our schools, workplaces, and communities. (You can see photos of the real people behind the Narcos: Mexico characters here.) Kiki and his mother, Dora Salazar-Camarena. He is giving pensions. The four-part cartel docuseries The Last Narc is set to premiere on Prime on May 15. Updated Nov 26, 2018 at 11:48pm. In reality, Kiki Camarena died in 1985, having been abducted by unidentified men in February 1985 while he was on his way to his wife Mika for lunch. Your strong efforts, he said, knowing better than anyone I hadn't stopped insisting during all these years. 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